São Paulo – Tunisian industry exports were up 10.7% in the first half of the year, Agence Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) reported based on data from the Agency for the Promotion of Industry and Innovation (APII). Exports amounted to USD 5.87 billion, up from USD 5.3 billion in H1 2016.
TAP said industrial goods exports went up across the board, but highlighted the mechanical and electric industries, whose foreign sales fetched over USD 3 billion, up 16.1% year-on-year.
Textile exports were up 11.2% to USD 1.2 billion; food exports increased by 5.8% to USD 433 million; and leather and footwear exports fetched USD 244.2 million, up 7.6%.
Other industries saw a 12.4% increase in foreign sales to USD 429.4 million.
Conversely, Tunisia’s imports of industrial goods climbed 14.1% to USD 7.7 billion. Imports of products from all industries went up, by rates ranging from 7.1% for leather and footwear to 58.7% for food products.
As a result, Tunisia posted a USD 1.86 billion industrial trade deficit, which is 26.4% wider than the USD 1.47 billion deficit in H1 2016.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum